In the commercial preparation of food products for sale, it is desirable to employ utensils and other implements which facilitate rapid and simple processing of the foods. Particularly in large volume food preparation operations, such as fast-food restaurants, snack bars and delicatessens, an important and time consuming step in food processing is the dispensing of seasonings and condiments onto the partially prepared foods. Seasonings and condiments are typically applied to food items after cooking and prior to sale, accounting for a considerable fraction of the overall labor and material costs necessary to produce salable products. Therefore, it is particularly desirable to utilize a condiment dispensing device which is quick, and which maximizes the uniformity of condiment distribution onto the food item. Uniformity in terms of the amount, and pattern of condiments distributed onto the food enhances the uniformity of appearance and taste of the final food product, as desired in a typical franchise operation. In addition, distribution of a pre-determined amount of condiments in an accurate pattern onto the food minimizes spillage and therefore reduces material wastage and sanitary problems.
Conventional methods for distributing condiments in fast-food settings are typically limited to manual procedures, such as using spoons, ladles, shakers and other basic utensils to distribute the condiments, or simply sprinkling the condiments by hand over the food item. Such methods have obvious drawbacks in terms of time, uniformity and sanitation, particularly in large volume operations.
Condiment dispensers which attempt to overcome these drawbacks are known, but are limited to devices for dispensing liquid and semi-liquid condiments. The most widely used condiment dispensing apparatus is a simple siphon pump for dispensing liquid condiments, such as catsup, mustard and mayonnaise, from a storage tank.
A more advanced condiment dispenser has been developed for dispensing liquid and semi-liquid, condiments in fast-food production settings. This device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,419, issued to Weimer et al., is a hand held dispenser which incorporates a conical container having a dispensing opening at its base through which liquid condiments are dispensed via a diffusor valve onto a selected food item. A hand operated actuating lever actuates a piston which exerts force on an aliquot of condiments held in a narrow, rechargeable dispensing bore of the shell. Pressure from the piston forces the liquid in the bore through a series of narrow openings in the diffusor valve, resulting in the dispensing of a pre-determined amount of condiment in a regular pattern over the food item.
Although the Weimer dispenser is useful for dispensing liquid and semi-liquid condiments, the device is inoperable for dispensing particulate condiments, such as relishes and chopped onions. In particular, the bore of the Weimer dispenser communicates with the main volume of the shell via a series of narrow recharging ports. When the contents of the bore are discharged, the reversing piston creates a vacuum in the bore to recharge the bore with fluid from the main volume of the shell. This design imposes severe constraints in terms of clogging of the device, which would result from congestion of non-liquid materials in the recharging ports. In addition, the narrow openings of the diffusor valve employed by the Weimer dispenser would also become clogged by particulate condiments. Lastly, because a vacuum mechanism is used to recharge the dispensing bore of the Weimer apparatus, the device would not function to dispense non-liquid contents.
A further disadvantage of the Weimer dispenser is that the apparatus is structurally and mechanically complex, and therefore difficult to disassemble for washing. In particular, the dispensing mechanism alone features a piston with a collar and flange, a compression spring, a cylinder with communication ports and a diffusor valve, among other components; all of which are arranged in a complex assembly, making disassembly for cleaning difficult and time consuming. In addition, the dispensing mechanism and other components of the Weimer dispenser feature various openings, nooks and crevasses in which condiment materials would tend to accumulate and clog, whereby cleaning would be even more difficult and time consuming.
On the basis of these considerations, a need exists in the commercial food preparation industry for a condiment dispenser designed to rapidly and repeatedly dispense particulate condiments onto partially prepared food items. A further need exists for a condiment dispensing apparatus designed to efficiently dispense particulate condiments in a uniform pattern and amount, and which is easily disassembled for cleaning to minimize labor and material costs, and reduce sanitary problems.